Out of the Fog
by meixel
Summary: Mike goes missing as he travels north of San Francisco while working on a case. With a dangerous fog as their only clue to his whereabouts, Jeannie and Steve try to find him before it's too late. A response to a writers challenge: write a story with hurt/comfort elements which stems from a non-violent act, such as a rescue or natural disaster. A short 4-part story
1. Chapter 1

I do not own anything to do with this series (SOSF) and all is done for fun and skill development.

This piece was written in response to a writers challenge - an h/c type of theme without violence. Hope you enjoy! Reviews are welcome.

**Out of the Fog**

After over 750 miles and two lengthy transfers, the bus carrying an exhausted Jeannie Stone made its stop at the main terminal in San Francisco. The college coed boarded the Greyhound in Phoenix late the evening before, and she managed to sleep sporadically on what was an uneventful trip. Now, her spirits skyrocketed; she was home for spring break.

Peering out the window, she expected to see her father's tall figure complete with his black fedora and dark raincoat. She couldn't wait for the reunion. As the bus pulled to its stop, Jeanne grabbed her bag from the overhead bin and made her way through the line of people exiting the bus.

"Jeannie!" a voice shouted. The young woman glanced around but could see no one familiar through the crowd of travelers.

"Jeannie!" the voice called again. It was a familiar voice to her and as she turned her head again, she saw her father's police partner making his way to greet her.

"Hi, Steve!," the young woman began as pulled him into a quick hug. "I didn't expect you here. Let me guess, Dad's busy on a case and…"

"Something like that," Steve coolly interrupted as he quickly kissed her on the cheek. He didn't mean to sound so unfriendly, so he took a quick breath and softened his next line. "Here, let me carry your bag for you."

The young man was bothered by something; Jeannie could tell. He didn't look like the happy-go-lucky and sharply dressed detective who had become so close to her father over the last few years. His face was stern and tired. His attire was strictly casual: jeans, a flannel shirt and blue jacket. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Steve, is Mike okay?" Jeannie met the detective with a concerned look in her eyes.

Steve looked down to his hands which now held the handle of her bag. "Mike had to go north to Santa Rosa for a case we're working on. He's been, um, delayed. Come along…I'll tell you more in the car." He placed his hand on her elbow and proceeded to lead her to his Porsche.

After putting her bag in his trunk, he opened the door for her and helped her in. Then he got into the car and placed his keys into the ignition. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Steve, you are scaring me here. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Jean. I didn't mean to scare you, but the police captain whom Mike was meeting this morning said that he never arrived. We don't know where he is right now. I remembered that you were coming in on the bus this afternoon. I thought that maybe we all just had our wires crossed and that Mike was back in town."

"What are you saying, Steve? Is he missing?"

"It looks that way. I had today off, but Lee Lessing called me and told me what was going on. I stopped by your house and saw that he'd left. His breakfast dishes were in the sink. Then I went over to the police garage and learned that he had checked out another car this morning. It sounds like he was on his way."

"Someone saw him leave?"

"Yes, Jack over at the garage remembers it clearly. Listen, there was quite an intense fog that rolled in early along 101. I know it was a mess there. I want to head up just to make sure that he didn't have any car trouble. The State Police have issued an APB for the car. He was driving the green Galaxy."

Jeannie looked down with concern in her eyes. "I have a funny feeling about this, Steve."

"I'm sure he's all right. You know Iron Mike. He probably just had car trouble. Let me drop you off at the house and then I promise I'll call you when I find something out."

"No way," Jeannie replied defiantly. "I'm sticking with you until we find Daddy. If he's had an accident, I want to be out there helping to find him."

"_My thinking exactly_," Steve thought as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Very well. We'll find him, Jeannie. But we`d better be going - we only have a few hours of daylight left."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the reviews on part 1!

**Out of the Fog, Part 2**

While the Porsche made many ski trips to Tahoe during inclement weather, Steve decided to exchange his sports car for something larger at the police depot in the event they found Mike and needed to drive him home. Jack, who ran the garage and issued unmarked cars to the officers knew that Steve was traveling through hilly terrain and would need something larger, but still handled well. He selected a brown Gran Torino and tossed Steve the keys.

"Let's move your stuff over to the trunk of the Torino," Steve suggested as he cleared his throat. Jeannie nodded her head slowly. She was too quiet for Steve's comfort. He knew she was worried. After all, _he_ was worried sick. The young man could only imagine how Mike's one and only child felt.

Steve called Lessing one more time before the couple left the garage. Lessing was manning the phones in the squad room and had become the de facto communications center for the search, but had nothing new to report. The California Highway Patrol was on alert for Mike`s car, but they needed to understand there were several accidents along the highway so resources were stretched.

"No report of the car? What about the hospitals along the way? Has anybody checked those out?" Steve was becoming inpatient.

"There are nine hospitals and large clinics between the Golden Gate Bridge and Santa Rosa. I've checked each one, plus I've checked with each local police department. There's no one matching the description of Mike or the car."

"Damn…" Steve whispered. "Okay, thanks, Lee."

"Be careful, Steve," Lee warned. "You've got his pride and joy with you, and you know Mike will be all over you if you take any chances with her."

Steve got the optimistic tone in Lessing's comment.

"Like white on rice, my friend," Steve replied with a slight chuckle as he thought of the determination in Jeannie`s voice when she told him that she would accompany him on the search. "I'll tell you what, if I'm ever at odds with Jean and Mike, I'd be between a rock and a hard place."

Somehow there was a pun in that remark given Mike's surname, but Lessing shook it off and ended the call.

"No further word, so we'll head out," Steve advised Jean as he started the car. He stifled a cough as he shifted gears.

***************

The couple drove through the urban area just north of the bridge. Had there been an accident or trouble, Mike's car would have been pulled over to the side or off in a ditch. What concerned Steve more was the idea that Mike was in a rural area and somehow had driven the car into brush never to be seen from the main road.

"Jeannie, make sure as we drive through the countryside that you say something if there's any track marks in the grass, bent or broken brush, things like that. I'll go slow and try to do the same. We can put the hazards on as well as the gumball." Steve motioned to the red light which was stored under the seat. Many times Mike had thrown the gumball on the car roof as they began pursuit.

"Okay, I'll do my best." Jeannie's faint reply was tinged in sadness.

Steve reached over and cupped his hand around her neck. "Babe, it will be okay. We'll find him. We have to believe that." His last words came out rather hoarsely.

"I know." Jeannie drifted back into reality as she noticed Steve's voice. "Do you have a cold?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine. I've been trying to fight one off for a couple of days now," Steve nodded towards the right side of the road. "Let's keep watching."

*************

The pair traveled at a snail's pace for two hours and found evidence of several ditched cars and accidents from the morning`s fog. None included a green Ford Galaxy. On a couple of instances, they pulled over and Steve checked to see if there were any vehicles trapped in the brush, but to no avail.

"We're out of radio range, but I think I see a place to stop ahead. I'll ask around to see if they've seen Mike and also give Lee a call." Seconds later, Steve's throat was parched as he pulled into the gas station. "We should get something to drink."

Jeannie surveyed her surroundings. "It's getting dark. How much longer do you think we'll be able to search?"

"Maybe another hour. That will get us up to Santa Rosa. If we don't find Mike by then, we'll go over to the police station there and check in."

The couple was able to stretch the hour into ninety minutes of searching before it became too dark to see anything.

Jeannie was heartbroken. Steve was as well, but he knew the best thing would be to abandon the search temporarily and check in with the Santa Rosa police. While there was no news on either end of the route, the idea that there were so many people concerned about her father gave Jeannie some comfort.

"I don't like the idea that he's going to be out there in a wrecked car overnight." Steve told Santa Rosa Police Chief, Matt Holloway. The men stood apart from Jeannie who was sitting on a bench in the lobby with her head in her hands.

"It won't be pleasant, but at least it will be a mild night. The highway patrol also has a chopper with lights that they are using to scan up and down the roadways. They'll report anything they see to a local unit. We're keeping this going the best we can throughout the night and then we'll hit it hot and heavy at daybreak," the middle aged chief informed the young detective.

"We'll be out there too." Steve agreed.

"You both should get a decent bite to eat and some sleep."

"Yeah, I think that's what we'll do," Steve paused to unleash a sequence of coughs. "Excuse me."

"There's a convenience store across the way. They may have something for that cough."

"Thanks, that sounds like a good idea," Steve responded. He knew he was feeling sicker. "I don't want to waste time by driving back to San Francisco tonight. Do you know of a good place for us to stay near here?"

"There's not much, but I do know of a motel near the south end of town. You might be able to get a room down there. If not, come on back and we can fix you a spot here in one of the back rooms."

"Okay, thanks." Steve shook Holloway's hand.

**********

The pair settled in for the night at the Rosalita Motel after stopping for dinner at a nearby diner. The small roadside lodge had only one room left, but neither Steve nor Jeannie seemed to mind. Steve's already protective feelings towards the young woman expanded rapidly since leaving San Francisco.  
He would do anything to find her father or spare her from the pain should the worst happen. The idea that she wouldn't be out of his sight in another room gave Steve additional comfort.

For Jeannie, she simply didn't want to be alone. While she found Steve's presence certainly didn't eliminate the fear of the unknown, it made the time pondering the possibilities more bearable.

"Double beds. Well, your father won't kill me on the spot at least." Steve tried to make a light joke of their situation. For the first time since the bus station, Jeannie smiled.

"You'd better take that medicine you bought for your cough and then curl up and get some sleep." Jeannie's tone was warm and nearly maternal, as she unpacked her bag.

"Curling up and getting some sleep sounds like something we both should do. In separate beds, of course." Steve said with a smirk.

Jeannie returned his smile. "Steve, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How is it that you had today off? Don't you and Mike normally work the same days?"

"Yes, normally we do. But your dad sent me home this morning."

Jeannie began to put it together. "You were sick?"

"You see, yesterday, I ended up in the Bay. It's a long story, but we were chasing a suspect near the pier. I fell in and it was so cold. I went back to the station and changed clothes, but I never got completely warmed up, if you know what I mean."

"That's when you caught a cold?"

"Like I said earlier, I`ve been fighting one for a couple of days, but up to that point I was able to keep it under control. And then on top of that, we ended up getting a late night call, so I basically pulled a double shift and got home around 2am. After a few hours sleep, I came back in. Your dad thought I looked like death warmed over, so he sent me home. That was the last thing he did before he  
left for Santa Rosa." Steve's expression changed quickly to sadness and regret.

Jeannie realized where this was headed. "This is not your fault, babe."

"I should have been there with him. I'm sorry." Steve stared at the floor.

"If you had been with him, you would be lost too. Then where would I be? Looking for you both by myself. No, I won't have this, Steven Keller." The resolve in her voice became strong. "Not for one moment. Now you take your medicine and get into bed. That's an order." She walked over and led  
him to the bed. "Get in."

The young man complied as she draped the covers over him. She placed her hand on his forehead as she noticed that he had beads of sweat forming. "You have a fever now," she announced as she handed him a glass of water and pill which had somehow quickly materialized. As she watched him take the pill and water, she squeezed his shoulder. "Now get some sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning."

Steve was relieved by the change in Jeannie's behavior. He realized quickly that while she wanted to take care of Mike and couldn't, he became the next beneficiary of her nurturing.

And at that moment, it was both what they needed.


	3. Chapter 3

The night was rough. Steve coughed intermittently and would awaken occasionally after strange, medicine-induced dreams. His heightened emotions around Mike's situation didn't help his slumber at all. Jeannie, too, was restless and would wake up periodically from Steve's coughing jags or when her nerves simply wanted the morning to come.

Sunrise finally arrived and Jeannie was the first to make a move. She was grateful that she had her bag from the bus which contained clean clothes and toiletries. The room had a small coffeemaker and she thought brewing a pot would help the pair get through the morning better.

Steve groaned as he opened his eyes for the first time that morning, and for a few seconds didn't quite realize where he was. The young man felt warm and sweaty from being sick and under so many blankets, courtesy of Jeannie, but did seem more rested. He looked over to his roommate and felt a shade embarrassed.

"You okay this morning?" he asked while seeing only Jean's back as she fixed the coffee. He did not see the determined look on her face which signified they would find her father that day no matter what.

"I just want to get going as soon as we can. Does anyone have our number here? Perhaps there's news."

"I talked to Lee last night while you were in the shower," Steve croaked. "I also talked to Chief Holloway. Both ends of the search know where we are."

"You sound horrible. Are you sure you are going to be okay today?" Jeannie's expression softened as she walked over and handed her father's partner a Styrofoam cup of weak coffee.

"This is just a cold and a sore throat. I'll take some more medicine and pop a couple of lozenges. It'll be fine." Steve seemed to liven up more as he drank the coffee. "I'll take a quick shower and that will help too. I bought a few things last night at the convenience store, so hopefully I can make myself bearable."

"You're fine as you are, but I can understand wanting to shower. Let's take off soon though."

Steve rose from the bed, rumpled in yesterday's clothes, and plodded into the bathroom. Jeannie watched the young man and felt a sudden burst of gratitude.

"Steve?"

"What?" He poked his head back through the bathroom doorway.

"Thanks," she said with a simple and warm smile. Steve's reaction was a rare and quick blush.

"For you…anything," he said as he noticed the wistful look on her face. His voice, while ragged from his cold, was sincere and firm, and it made her feel secure. Nothing more was said as they took in each other's expression. They both felt an array of emotions and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, but now was not the time. Steve broke the stare. As he ran his hand nervously through his hair, he added, "And besides, don't tell Mike this, but I'm kind of used to having the old guy around."

He winked as he shut the door to the bathroom. Jeannie quickly turned and walked back to the dresser where she packed her bag. She felt her face turn red as she let out a sigh.

Ten minutes later they were back on the road.

Heading southbound to San Francisco, Steve thought that they would get a fresh angle on any possible accident. The pair peered from one side to the other as they slowly made their way down the highway. Steve stopped at the same gas station and made the same inquiries as the day before. The owner was sympathetic while delivering the same response.

Roughly two miles south of the gas station on the right side of the road, Jeannie saw tracks which appeared to lead through the brush.

"Steve, look!"

Steve pulled the Gran Torino over to the right side of the road. He saw the same tracks as well as broken brush.

"Stay here," Steve instructed. He told her that each time they stopped. He wanted to see for himself first what the situation was in each case. If he found wreckage with her father, he knew he'd need to quickly process what he saw and then prepare himself to be able to handle any reactions Jeannie would have.

Steve gingerly, but quickly, made his way down the ravine which he estimated to be only twenty yards long. He followed the tire tracks until he came to the broken brush. As he bent back more twigs and branches to see what was behind the brush, his heart sank.

On the other side of the brush was a vehicle. It was upside down and at an angle. The first thing he saw were the four tires and the undercarriage. He looked down to identify the color of the body. _Green. _

Steve began breathing heavily and became a little dizzy. He looked at the trunk to see if he could identify the make and model. A upside down small silver plate told him what he didn't want to know. "Galaxy".

The young man froze for a moment and then quickly dove to the ground trying to find anyway to see inside. The top had been partially crushed on one side. But on the other side, the window was visible. He pounded on the side of the car. "Mike, can you hear me? Are you in there?"

He rested back on his haunches and looked around. He tried again to look through the window to the interior of the car. Then, he saw what appeared to be black material lying across what was formerly the top of the car. "Mike!" Steve tried to shake the car to get movement inside and then realized that probably wasn't the best idea.

"Oh, God no!" Steve prayed out loud. "Please, not Mike."

"Steve?" Jeannie called through the brush.

Steve didn't reply.

"Steve, are you okay?" Jeannie called out again.

Suddenly, he realized that Mike's daughter was coming through the brush to find him.

"Stay there. I'm coming out." Steve quickly turned around and tried to intercept her.

When he reached her, he pushed her back. "Jeannie, I think it's his car. We need to get help fast. We need to go back to that gas station and get a rescue unit out here quickly."

She tried to move past him, but he grabbed her with both arms. "Did you see him, Steve?" she asked.

"No, the car was upside down and in the brush. It was too dark to make anything out."

"No sounds?" Jeannie whimpered.

"I don't know if I would have been able to hear anything." Steve said quickly as he tried to deter her worst fears. "Babe, we need to go get help."

"I want to stay here," Jeannie countered. "I don't want him to be alone."

"Jeannie, I'm not leaving you here on the roadside by yourself and I don't want you by the car. It's too dangerous. And besides, if you're back there, I'll not see you. I don't want you to get lost too."

"But…"

"No, you are coming with me; that's final. We'll come right back, I promise." Steve quickly shed his jacket and tied it to a a nearby branch which was visible to the road. "This will be our marker. Now, come on."

He grabbed her by the hand and led her to the car. Seconds later they were on their way.


	4. Chapter 4

Within minutes of calling for help, Steve and Jeannie returned to the accident site and waited for the police and rescue units. They made sure they were visible to the responders as they saw the emergency vehicles roaring up the highway.

A light drizzle began to fall as Officer White of the California Highway Patrol approached Steve and Jeannie for a statement. From their comments, the policeman understood that Mike was a father and a fellow officer. He also learned where he was going and whom he was seeing in Santa Rosa. Steve asked the officer to notify Chief Holloway as well as Lessing back at the squad room. White returned to his car and radioed dispatch with the request.

The officer asked the pair to wait several yards away as the rescue commenced. From there, Jeannie and Steve watched two fire trucks and an ambulance join the police and rescue units. The men made fast work of unloading equipment including chains, ropes, a stretcher and then finally, the jaws of life. Steve would have normally joined the rescuers, but acknowledged that given the number and skill level of the responders, his best use was to keep Jeannie company. He knew that's what Mike would have wanted. He also knew he was becoming increasingly weak and tired.

It was cool, overcast and the drizzle turned to light rain. Steve recovered his jacket from the tree branch and proceeded to the area where Jeannie was watching the rescue. Cross-legged with her back against a large tree trunk and her arms wrapped around herself, Steve could see she was cold. He made a quick trip to the Torino and retrieved the standard issue blanket which was kept in the trunk.

As he draped the warm cover around Jean, he said quietly, "I wish there was something more I could do for you."

"Sit by me," was her simple command.

He quickly obliged and shortly after, wrapped his arm around her. She responded by leaning her head on his shoulder. She could feel the heat from his fever as the top of her head touched his neck. They were cold, wet, miserable and sick with worry. All they could do was watch and wait.

In the course of an hour, they saw several rescuers rush from their vehicles to behind the brush and back. They couldn't tell what was happening, but could hear the loud noise as the jaws of life cut through the car's steel. _He must be in there for them to use the jaws_, Steve acknowledged silently.The nerves in his stomach were the only thing that gave him feeling. He was otherwise numb from the cold, his sickness and from holding onto Jeannie.

"Steve…" Jeannie whispered as if to read his mind. "What if…"

"No," was Steve's quick reply. He knew her thoughts exactly. "Let's not think about that. Maybe he's not even in there. Maybe he's fine or just barely hurt. But we can't just think that only the worst has happened."

Minutes later they heard noise - more like loud shouts - coming from the area behind the brush. Something had happened, but they couldn't tell what.

Officer White came running up to the couple. "He's alive and we got him out!"

"What?" This was not the news Steve was expecting.

"He's actually in good shape, all things considered. He's arguing with them about getting on the stretcher."

"Daddy's okay?" Jean jumped up and reached toward Officer White.

"Yes, miss. They'll have him up in a minute. He'll go to the hospital to be checked over, but really, he's not complaining about anything other than general aches and soreness."

"No head injury or broken bones? He can move?" Steve was incredulous as he rose in a much slower fashion than Jeannie.

"The fire department cut through the top frame of the car. It took a long time, but once we created a hole large enough, your father was able to crawl out. With a little help, of course."

"Jeannie, this is the best news we could have had." Steve couldn't hide his smile.

"Woo hoo!" Jeannie wrapped her arms around her dear friend. "I can't believe he made it through the accident. That's our 'Iron Mike'." The girl could barely contain herself and she remained in their embrace.

"Officer White, thank you. Thanks to all of you. This could have turned out so much worse. I can't wait to hear what happened," Steve remarked as he offered up a freed arm to shake the hand of the policeman.

"He must not have been going very fast as he left the road, but with the wet pavement and grass plus the angle of the slope, it looks the car just did a soft roll and he became trapped." Officer White shook his head. "Lucky man."

The hospital in Petaluma was closest to the accident scene. Mike was quickly loaded in the ambulance but managed to catch a glimpse of his daughter and partner as they got into their car to follow. After a twenty minute ride behind the ambulance, the pair made their way to the emergency waiting room and took a seat. They were both soaked and cold, but more than content to wait for her father.

Lessing and Captain Rudy Olsen arrived over an hour later.

"Keller, what the hell happened?" Rudy barked sternly as he marched toward the pair. "Mike wrecks the car. You run off with his daughter to lord-knows-where. We have work to do and cases to solve."

Steve looked surprised but then realized that the captain was attempting humor when he saw the man's crooked grin. Lessing rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, how is the old man?" Rudy asked. "I had an update from the local boys and they said he came out okay."

"It seems like he doesn't have any serious injuries, but they want to check him over to be sure." Steve's answer became increasingly hoarse until he entered into a prolonged cough.

"Good God, man. What's wrong with you?" Rudy glared at Steve. .

"Nothing. I'm fine." The answer was reflexive, wheezy and nearly unintelligible.

"He's quite sick, Rudy." Jeannie responded. "He should see a doctor."

"Well, no better place to find a doctor than at the hospital," Rudy agreed.

As Steve continued coughing, he drew the ER receptionist's attention. A nurse who was gathering records at the desk also noticed and came over to see if there was anything she could do. Before Steve could open his mouth, Jeannie answered for him.

"He's been sick for a few days. He's got a fever and I'm afraid he may have pneumonia. Just listen to him."

"Pneumonia? I don't have that…" Steve interrupted his own protest with a cough.

"Come with me, young man…" Now that Jeannie had played the pneumonia card, the nurse had no choice but to take him back to one of the emergency rooms. Steve gave his travel companion a dirty look. Rudy and Lessing chuckled as they watched him being led away by the no-nonsense nurse.

"Jeannie, Lee is going to finish the business Mike had with Chief Holloway in Santa Rosa. I'll stay here. I understand you took one of our units to come up here…"

"Well, Steve did. I thought that was okay."

"Of course it was. One of my best men was missing, after all. It was police business. And judging by what you all have been through these last couple of days, I'll be the one driving you back."

Later…

"Well, there he is!" Rudy announced as he saw Mike approach the waiting room, dressed and ready to go home. He was escorted by the nurse. "How is he?" Rudy asked.

"For a man who was trapped overnight in a wrecked vehicle, I'd say very well. He needs to go home, have a good meal, a bath and a good night's sleep. He's a little dehydrated and tired from the ordeal, but physically, he's fine."

The woman handed Mike his release papers and then returned to her other patients. Mike looked sheepishly at Rudy and then down to his daughter who had fallen asleep on the waiting room sofa.

"Sorry, Rudy. It was a helluva of a fog and it rolled in so quickly. One minute it was clear. The next, I couldn't see a damn thing. I was driving slowly, but it felt like I was about to go off the road. I guess I overcorrected."

"You rolled over, but apparently not too fast. The local police called it a soft roll."

"Makes sense. The rollover was not fast at all. I had no control, yet it all felt like slow motion." Mike looked again at his sleeping daughter and at that moment wanted nothing more than to go home. "Well, I guess we can go now?"

"Not yet. We're waiting on Keller. The ER nurse wanted to take a look at him." Rudy stopped to explain when he saw Mike's confusion. "I think it's just a bad cold, but he hacked enough to where he drew the staff's attention here."

Mike nodded as he sat down. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."

"It was an accident and it sounds like it was beyond your control. You're lucky…in more ways than one."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Those two," Rudy said as he referenced Jeannie and her absent companion. "They didn't give up - and they were in it for the long haul."

Rudy relayed to the senior detective what Jeannie and Steve had told him while Mike was being examined. He learned that Steve got out of his sick bed to make sure that Jeannie was met at the bus station. He also realized that for Jeannie, the search started the moment she stepped off the bus after an all night ride.

After the nurse took Steve away for his exam, Jeannie told Rudy more. She said Steve stayed with her every minute with no intention of allowing her to face whatever the outcome was alone. He did so despite his worsening illness and fatigue. It was at that moment Mike realized that if something truly happened to him, Steve would be there to take care of Jeannie. The comfort Mike felt from that revelation couldn't be measured.

Not long after that, Steve walked out of the emergency treatment area. Mike had only seen a glimpse of him back at the accident site and was now taken aback by his partner's haggard appearance.

"No pneumonia?" Rudy half teasingly asked the pale young man.

"Of course not; just the sniffles. And look, Sucrets!," Steve held up a tin of the cherry cough drops. "Plus I got a shot and some high powered cough medicine with codeine. I'll be fine." He dropped the tin box of cough drops back into the bag that also held the syrup which had been prescribed for his bronchitis.

No longer wanting to discuss his own health issues, he turned his attention turned to Mike. "How are you?" Steve grinned as still couldn't believe their good fortune.

"Better than you, by the looks of it," came the gruff response. The worry was obvious in the older man's face. He thought again of what Rudy had told him about his and Jeannie's search. Barely able to resist grabbing the young man for an uncharacteristic hug, he instead placed both his hands on Steve's arms and squeezed. "Thanks for taking care of my little girl."

Steve nodded out of embarrassment and then glanced at the young woman who was just awakening. He wanted to step back out of the picture and let the father and daughter have their moment. He bent over and helped the young woman to her feet.

"Oh, Mike! I'm so happy this is all over! Are you sure you're okay?" Jeannie reached for her father. "Let me look at you."

"And let me look at you. You're a sight for sore eyes, young lady." This time, Mike had no inhibitions about showing his emotions and grabbed his daughter for an overdue hug.

Not forgetting Steve, Jeannie extended a free hand to the young detective. He grabbed it and squeezed gently. Remembering the silent look the pair shared at the motel, Steve felt extra heat forming in his already flushed face. She returned the squeeze. With a slight nod, he decided to let the father and daughter continue their reunion in private and walked towards the exit with Rudy.

After a few seconds of watching the scene Mike and Jeannie, Rudy let his impatience show. "Oh, for heaven's sakes, let's get going before another fog rolls in."

The four departed and enjoyed clear roads all the way.

-end-


End file.
